One lecture everyone needs to view

Whether you’re concerned about CO2 emissions, the public health cost of obesity, your local economy, long commuting times, kids’ freedom to safely cycle to school, the viability of main street shopping, or simply your own pleasure when cycling, you should watch this lecture. If your only concern is going fast in your car, watch it and know you’re on a path to frustration. The lecture shows how alliances of groups representing the kinds of interests above, easily have the numbers to combat shortsighted motoring bodies, and thus win lane space for this safer, more convenient, cheaper, healthier and greener means of getting around: cycling. The dividends to Portland (just watch the lecture) have been so compelling, hardly a city will not have followed their lead, ten years from now. Certainly Portland has no regrets, and are aiming for more by 2030. The combined democratic and economic power of all of the groups who prosper from cycling, simply over rule drivers’ complaints about losing on-street car parking spaces to bike lanes. Motoring groups in your city have already lost, it just remains to be proven. QED, as they say. The only argument against change, that I’ve seen, is it wouldn’t be popular. No law saving people from their worst behavior is popular though. Cigarette warning labels, compulsory wearing of seat belts, under age drinking laws, smoking in pubs, random breath testing… many good laws for the many, didn’t go down well with the selfish shortsighted few. And that’s what speaking out against cycling shows its opponents to be: very shortsighted, anti health, anti environment, anti prosperity, anti main street, anti everything but themselves and their rust buckets. But enough of my yappin’. Watch the lecture.